The hooves of domestic animals, especially equids, are dynamic, specialized epidermal structures subjected to many different forces and environments, as well as methods and ideas for care of them. All hooves are composed of a hard epidermal covering known by many names such as hoof-wall and insensitive horn. Secondly, beneath the wall is the sensitive corium composed of vessels, nerves, collagen, elastin, and other cellular and proteinaceous components. This architecture encases the third phalanx bone and its associated tendons, ligaments, and sesamoid bone. Traditional hoof care has consisted of trimming the wall and applying a shoe of metal or hard plastic to the wall to protect it from abrasions and chipping. Modifications are made and various single piece pads of leather, plastic, or rubber are applied to enhance support and protection of the basic shoe. The wall has classically been viewed as the weight bearing structure upon which the horse stands. Field observation of feral horses and pastured horses has led to differing thoughts on the horse's foot and the function of its components.
For many years, farriers have inserted pads of various shapes, sizes and materials between a horse's hoof and a horseshoe. The primary purposes for using such pads are: to protect the sole of the horse's hoof; to act as shock absorbers and reduce concussion when the horse's hoof and horseshoe strike the ground; to change the angle of the hoof relative to the ground; and to prevent snowballing.
Hoof pads are generally shaped to be secured, mechanically and/or chemically, between a horseshoe and at least the outer, peripheral portion of the horse's hoof. The two most common shapes of hoof pads are “full” pads and “rim” pads, although other shapes are possible. “Full,” sometimes called “flat,” pads cover the entire bottom surface of the horse's hoof and are used to protect the hoof and to keep it free of snow and debris. “Rim” pads fit between a horseshoe and the hoof, and are generally about the same size and shape as a horseshoe so that only the outer, peripheral portion of the hoof is covered. Rim pads are used to put more distance between the sole and the ground. Shock absorbing pads, which are used to reduce concussion and vibrations to the hoof and leg structures of the horse, have been made in both full and rim styles and have been made from a variety of materials.
Currently, foot pads are either a single piece molded rubber/plastic unit, or they are created by combining two components to form a pad material which occupies the solar arch between the branches of the shoe. The latter is not pre-prepared, and is designed to fit flush or just above the plane of the ground contact surface of the shoe. None of these products can exist exclusively without a shoe or a mesh to secure them in place.
Furthermore, in the treatment of lameness and other diseases of the musculoskeletal system of horses and other domestic animals, it has been proposed to provide a resilient rubber layer between the bottom of the hoof of the animal and a shoe. Although treatments of this kind have been tried, they have not proven entirely successful both because the resilient material chosen has not been effective in reducing shock to the animal's musculoskeletal system and also because some of the resilient materials, although effective at absorbing shock, have not proven to be sufficiently dimensionally stable to hold up when placed between the shoe and hoof of a horse or other animal.
It has been known to apply orthotic devices in the form of tapering wedges under the heel portion of a hoof to elevate and support the rear or heel portion. Such wedges have in the past extended the full width of the hoof and have been secured by the same nails that hold the shoe in place.
What is needed is a pad for a hoofed animal that protects the inner portion of the hoof that is neither a “rim” or “full” cushion.